New blow to supercasino

PLANS for a supercasino in Manchester have been dealt a further blow in the Commons. After Gordon Brown gave it the thumbs down last week, new Culture Secretary James Purnell made it clear it was dead in the water.

PLANS for a supercasino in Manchester have been dealt a further blow in the Commons.

After Gordon Brown gave it the thumbs down last week, new Culture Secretary James Purnell made it clear it was dead in the water.

He told MPs: "It would be prudent to examine afresh whether deprived areas can be equally well served by other forms of regeneration."

Mr Purnell, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said councils would have new powers to decide not to licence new casinos.

On the question of the super-casino - a £265m proposal to have up to 1,250 unlimited jackpot gaming machines - the minister said there was no consensus, as the prime minister had made plain last week.

He said: "While much of the debate focused on the merits of the casino advisory panel's recommendation of Manchester as compared to Blackpool, many members of all sides of both Houses of Parliament expressed serious doubts about whether we should have a regional casino at all."